sound volume at the shows

[herbanrenewal]

I have always loved the wonderful shows available every day during cruises and in a variety of venues, but on my last several cruises 

i have gotten more and more frustrated by the intense volume. I'm not sure how many decibels is a recommended level, but I'm not able to enjoy the shows when the sound is so loud it induces pain. I leave the theater and can not hear conversation for a while. I've even resorted to going out and sitting on the  stairs to hear music - but of course that's not enjoying a show. 

If anyone else has experienced this what do you do?  I'm thinking of trying noise cancelling headphones but I'm afraid that may cancel too much of the sound.

I tried ear plugs but that still left the volumes too loud. I think if they showed the entertainment on closed circuit tv I would watch from my room - it would certainly top the lack of watchable options currently offered!

 

[dumbth]

36 minutes ago, herbanrenewal said:

I'm thinking of trying noise cancelling headphones but I'm afraid that may cancel too much of the sound.

 

They will not cancel too much; they only cancel predictable sound patterns, and even that in an understated manner. In fact words may come thru clearer due to less background muddle. I would strongly suggest noise cancelling earbuds which are less ungainly than the better performing headphones. You will find other uses for them on and off the trip as well.

 

I strongly empathize with your plight. Noise is like salt in food - the world piles in more and more for cheap attention getting. Get earbuds with high approval ratings because some are uncomfy and some muffle and don't actually cancel unless they call it active-cancelling

[hallux]

Try foam ear plugs.  I went to a car race one time and found that once I put the plugs in I was better able to hear the announcements over the loudspeakers but everything was muted.

Edited April 2, 2022 by hallux

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, herbanrenewal said:

I tried ear plugs but that still left the volumes too loud.

Not all ear plugs are created equal.  Get yourself some good ones and you'll be just fine.

[wacruiselover]

I have a problem with loud music also. Strange as it seems, I actually find myself having a panic attack if the music is unreasonably loud - but I love good music at reasonable volumes so regular earplugs either block portions of the sound I want to hear or don't block enough.

 

For me the solution was to purchase Etymotic Research ER20 High-Fidelity Earplugs that are made for concerts and musicians. They are not cheap - about $14 - but work really well and reduce the sound level by about 20db. If you click the link above it will take you to the earplugs on Amazon.

[Candy Apple 12]

I actually wrote a comment to NCL about this after our recent Breakaway cruise. “Six” was fine as far as volume level, but the musical show was painfully loud even though we were in the back of the theatre. Thanks for the reminder. I just added earplugs to my cruise packing list. I like Vibes earplugs. I use them for very loud college basketball games, and they work well for this.

Edited April 2, 2022 by Candy Apple 12

[ATXBecky]

I agree about how loud shows are. Doesn't matter what cruise line. Yes, I too, have left shows.because of the volume. It seems to always be the musical style productions that are the worst.

[kochleffel]

I also found Six unpleasantly loud. In some other shows, I thought that the voices were in an acceptable range but the backing tracks were way too loud.

[ATXBecky]

Lol, maybe all of the sound guys have gone death from the loud music!

[armwinder]

We sit at the end of the row so we can leave when it gets too loud. I carry earplugs but sometimes it gets so loud they are no help. When you leave the theatre it takes a while to get our hearing back to normal. Kind of like when I used to work in ships engine rooms without proper hearing protection. 

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, herbanrenewal said:

I have always loved the wonderful shows available every day during cruises and in a variety of venues, but on my last several cruises 

i have gotten more and more frustrated by the intense volume. I'm not sure how many decibels is a recommended level, but I'm not able to enjoy the shows when the sound is so loud it induces pain. I leave the theater and can not hear conversation for a while. I've even resorted to going out and sitting on the  stairs to hear music - but of course that's not enjoying a show. 

If anyone else has experienced this what do you do?  I'm thinking of trying noise cancelling headphones but I'm afraid that may cancel too much of the sound.

I tried ear plugs but that still left the volumes too loud. I think if they showed the entertainment on closed circuit tv I would watch from my room - it would certainly top the lack of watchable options currently offered!

 

A standard pair of foam ear plugs would be sufficient. No need for anything fancy. 

[herbanrenewal]

35 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

A standard pair of foam ear plugs would be sufficient. No need for anything fancy. 

I've tried cotton,  foam earplugs and swimmers ear plugs. I'm going to try both of the brands mentioned by other posters (Thanks for suggestions!). If those don't work i may try airpods - i really don't want to miss all the entertainment that I've always loved about cruising. Funny thing is i'm hard of hearing and wear hearing aids in small gatherings, but hearing aids are useless in noisy environments.

[taznremmy]

@herbanrenewal Thank you for raising this issue @wacruiselover @Candy Apple 12  and thank you for the recommendations.  I have never sailed NCL, but the problem appears to be on all the lines. @ATXBeckyYes, I agree, I think all of the sound technicians are deaf.

[Zippeedee]

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

A standard pair of foam ear plugs would be sufficient. No need for anything fancy. 

Unless you want to enjoy all of the music and not just muffle sound. There is a good reason for better ear plugs.

[herbanrenewal]

11 hours ago, taznremmy said:

 @ATXBeckyYes, I agree, I think all of the sound technicians are deaf.

If they aren't deaf now they will be soon - there are recommendations for decibels in enclosed areas and it really does seem to me that music at shows  is dangerously loud. 

[Trimone]

The volume is set for full venues, not 50% full

[herbanrenewal]

2 hours ago, Trimone said:

The volume is set for full venues, not 50% full

but recommendations are set that limit the number of decibels based on level of danger to health...I'm not an audiologist, but it seems to me that some people have experienced temporary inability to hear conversational tones after exposure. Sound techs must be able to control output to levels that dont cause physical harm.

[fabby50]

We went on a Blues Cruise cruise and were given musicians ear plugs as part of our welcome bag.  There wasn't a brand on them, so I'm not sure what they were, but they worked great.  I still use them for concerts, movies, etc.